Glebe renters refuse to leave home sold by landlord

Landlord-tenant dispute in the Glebe An Ottawa landlord says he's facing a legal nightmare, as tenants won't leave the house he sold. CTV's Jackie Perez reports.

The last few weeks have been a nightmare for Patrick Lecours. He has a deal in place to sell his home in the Glebe, but the tenants renting the property refuse to leave.

"They were supposed to leave by October 31," said Lecours. He says he's followed all of the rules set out by the Landlord and Tenant Act, giving the current renters more than 60 days notice. He also went further offering them thousands of dollars to leave.

"We offered cash for keys. We offered $10,000 and a moving truck and they more or less said make it a real offer," he said.

CTV News attempted to contact the tenants. They directed us to their paralegal, who did not get back to CTV News Ottawa in time for publishing.

Now, Lecours's only option is the Landlord and Tenant Board, but he can't get a hearing until April 2024.

"That does not surprise me," said John Dickie with the Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization chair. "The board is very backed up; people are waiting six to eight months for a hearing."

For Lecours, the costs keep adding up. He cut the price to the buyers by $15,000 so they didn't walk away from the sale and he's had to refinance the mortgage at a much higher rate.

"We are out 10-grand and another $40,000 in elevating interest payments," he said. "My mortgage was due at the end of October."

As for the new buyers, they're also in limbo.

"A young family, they put their home in the market, sold their home, and are now moving into interim accommodations," said Jeff Hooper with EXP Realty. "I've sold real estate for over 35 years; I've never run into this situation before."

"Hopefully these people realize they aren't only taking my personal life for a hell of a ride but the new homeowners who have every right to move into their home," said Lecours.